Ubisoft tweets that their DRM servers are experiencing another denial of service attack, and users are having trouble playing, as was the case over the weekend. Word is: "Our servers are under attack again. Some gamers are experiencing trouble signing in. We're working on it and will keep you posted."

I've Got The News Blues:You shouldn't try to criticize Steam on BN, because it has by far the hardest Steam-fanboy base, only topped by the offical forums.

Dunno why its that way, because BN user normally are very objective.

On a side note: Microsoft has today announced that they want to implement a similar DRM to Steam and Ubisoft in their games, with even more super-awesome hyper go-go features that EVERYONE needs so hard. Yes, even worse than GFWL.

Thanks to everyone who supported Steam.

Waiting for BIS to come back to their senses and do a real ArmA 2 successor.

I don't see why we are discussing steam when this news item is about Ubi Soft drm servers failing. This has zero/nothing, let me repeat NOTHING to do with steam. So, just because you don't like the most successful PC digital distribution(soon coming to MAC), it still has nothing to do with UBIsoft crappy new DRM.

PS. again with Silent Hunter 5, the game is extremly buggy at release just like SH3 was and hopes of long support are slim, this is bigger problem than the terrible DRM itself because the GAME ITSELF IS NOT WORTH THE DRM.

raVen wrote on Mar 9, 2010, 02:40:3rd parties are responsible for patching games via Steam, and fixing problems that arise from patches.

Actually no, Valve, has to implement and test patches for third-party games into Steam which is why they sometimes get delayed because Valve doesn't dedicate enough staff for this function. However it doesn't really matter who all is at fault for this. The point is that automatic patching on Steam isn't always update-to-date for every game.

Valve has come out and said they would release a 'patch' in that event.

No, Valve hasn't done that. It is a myth. The Steam Subscriber Agreement states otherwise, and that is the official and legally binding policy. The only such patches are the ones which come from the game cracking community.

I believe it will allow offline mode if you've already logged on with that machine. I do not know specifics.

I do unless Valve changed it in the recent fixes. The point is that offline mode should have no such restrictions which rely on stored passwords and Windows GUID's like it currently does.

And I think because the client brings other features and it 'is' the DRM I mind it less.

I would prefer Steam be like Direct2Drive where if you want to use an integrated client which is tied to your account and has community features, server lists, automatic patching, etc. you can, but you don't have to, and the DRM for each game is separate so losing access to one game doesn't disable all games, and one game can be simultaneously played on more than one PC.

There are definitely benefits to having a system which is lenient

But, Steam is not that system. If you have read the Steam Subscriber Agreement and terms of use, then you would know that there is nothing lenient about Steam. It's Valve's way or the highway.

I think Steam fits this bill: As far as I know it does prevent piracy.

You don't know very much on this issue because Steam is widely cracked. Valve has actually hardened the DRM on newer titles like L4D2, but it still has been cracked. There are limits to using cracked versions of Steam in Internet multiplayer, but because Valve's games are so popular, there are more people playing on cracked Steam servers than many other PC games legitimately.

3rd parties are responsible for patching games via Steam, and fixing problems that arise from patches.

I haven't had problems logging into Steam since back when HL2 launched. I'm always logged in, and I log in at work. I honestly think Steam is too successful to ever shut down at this point, but even Valve has come out and said they would release a 'patch' in that event.

If you know you're going on a trip and wont have internet, you probably would have already logged in at some point. I believe it will allow offline mode if you've already logged on with that machine. I do not know specifics.

I think you make sense when it comes to separating the DRM and the client. I personally hate almost all DRM. And I think because the client brings other features and it 'is' the DRM I mind it less.

There are definitely benefits to having a system which is lenient and one that publishers back because it prevents piracy. I think Steam fits this bill: As far as I know it does prevent piracy. I have heard about older games (HL2, CS:S) being pirated, but I haven't kept up on any of that. Mostly because I've paid for those games and don't mind the DRM.

To prove it to yourself simply type "steam failed to" into Google and then see all the suggestions which popup like "steam failed to connect" and "steam failed to contact key server". Then click on some of the links.

I've had one or maybe two instances of steam not launching a game due to a decryption error on purchase, but I have over 20 games on it so it doesn't bother me. Using google to prove a point though?Try typing "how to pimp slap" into google, and look at the results.Must be a lot of people out there who don't know how to pimp slap, eh?I'm sorry, but you can type just about anything you have a problem with into google and get a decent number of hits, especially with things more people are involved in or use.

How many players can the server system support?There is no limit to how many players can play at the same time. For each title, we carefully study the demand and allocate servers accordingly. We will also of course allocate back-up servers in order to be able to respond to fluctuations in demand. Ubisoft provides 24/7 monitoring of its servers.

I can easily see people attacking the servers.Maybe not to the degree that it's causing all the issues they are attributing to attacks, but still to some degree.And I'd bet most of the attacks are from the "It has DRM, so I won't bother with it" group, who again instead of actually having nothing to do with it either try to pirate it or attack the servers out of spite.Not that it matters to me, since I have NO plans to ever touch any of these games unless the DRM is removed.Even then, only PoP might get a purchase, on sale, with the DRM removed.

Yes, if you have never had Steam fail on you, then you are very lucky.

To prove it to yourself simply type "steam failed to" into Google and then see all the suggestions which popup like "steam failed to connect" and "steam failed to contact key server". Then click on some of the links to read about actual people having these problems. The fact that these terms are Google suggestions show just how commonplace these Steam failures are.

The point is that all DRM systems which rely on Internet authentication like Steam does will fail sometimes. It is inevitable. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it won't. And, the more games you have which are tied to Steam, the bigger the impact it will have when it does fail.

First, third-party games on Steam aren't always up-to-date. Sometimes the patches are late or in a few cases they don't appear at all. Stalker and Arx Fatalis are examples. Second, the way that Steam implements automatic patching eliminates choice and is too restrictive. You can't rollback a patch if it breaks your game or you discover that you otherwise don't want the patch. That has even happened with Valve's own games like L4D and TF2 on occasion where a patch broke the game until the next one arrived. Steam's automatic patching also reverts modified game files whether you want that done or not because it offers no selective control over file replacement. It's an irreversible all-or-nothing implementation.

One login for many games.

This is Steam's biggest weakness as it is a single point of failure. Steam is one big killswitch for all of your games. So, when Steam fails or you lose access to your account, you don't just lose one game, you lose all of them. No other major DRM system is so restrictive in that regard.

I don't even have to be online after installing. (Offline Mode)

Offline mode has limits to it which should be apparent to people who have multiple Steam accounts or who share their PC with others. Offline mode has also been historically unreliable although Valve has claimed to have finally fixed offline mode in two recent updates. Valve didn't explain what those fixes were though so who knows if offline mode will now work more reliably.

I have to log in to be able to go into offline mode.

which defeats the purpose of offline mode since sometimes you can't login first.

Friends lists, server lists, tons of other social stuff and free.

Xfire, Gamespy Comrade, etc. have offered these same features for years. In addition, these third-party services have much broader server lists because Steam's list is only for Steamworks games. Steam's community features are nice for those who want them, but unlike third-party solutions which are optional these features are included in the Steam client whether one wants them or not.

Heavy use - Launch titles HL2 basically took Steam down for days. I haven't seen anything as bad since, they have learned some good lessons.

Steam still regularly fails for some at every major game launch. HL2 was hardly the last time it happened.

The real problem with your list though is that you are confusing the benefits of Steam as a game service with its DRM and restrictive policies when the two aren't mutually inclusive by necessity. It's like saying that Valve can only give you a lollipop if it also cuts off your arm. Steam DRM doesn't have to be so restrictive for the service to offer unlimited downloads. Having restrictive DRM isn't necessary for Steam to offer community and chat features. Even the Steam client could be made optional and separate from the DRM. Steam's DRM doesn't have to be a universal killswitch for all its games just so it can offer some unrelated beneficial features.

If you've always been able to play your games which require Steam and never had it fail to launch a game then you have either been very lucky, haven't used Steam for very long, or only use it infrequently.

Very lucky? I've only recently heard of this ever happening, and that was during the mysterious Portal puzzle a week or so ago. Something was up with Steam's content servers or something, and I think it may have only affected users of the new beta GUI (which I also use).

I have used Steam since 2006, and I have NEVER had any problems with it denying me access to my games. I can't honestly think of any other problems either. And I use it quite frequently.

There is of course the occasional inconvenience of Steam disconnecting from, and being unable to reconnect for some time to the servers which has only had an affect on one game: Team Fortress 2. And it didn't mean I couldn't play. It just meant that my non-standard items didn't work (only the main weapons you have before you unlock achievements or that you obtain from item drops will work). And as I said, the game still runs the same, and it's only a slight annoyance. Usually, reconnecting to the server fixes it, but sometimes it's a Steam-wide thing, which is a shame, but not catastrophic.

Steam has almost never failed to launch a game for me. Once I think when it was decrypting something, L4D2 perhaps, it didn't launch the first time I clicked, the 2nd time it worked.

I have hundreds of games on steam and its my preferred platform. I almost never buy retail anymore, its more expensive and for what... a box? wow, that just takes up shelf space. Manuals are almost never included anymore, that went out years ago. The cd? Yay something more to lose or scratch up. And with the protection schemes nowadays, a cd means very little in terms of if you can play a game years from now when the company goes under. Heck the last few valve games had to decrypt the cd, just like they decrypted the download game (remember how some people who got stuff like hl2 ep1/2 early from a retail store couldn't play it since the auth server wasn't allowing it?).

That being said, steam DOES have some negatives. You can't sell games or give away your account per the TOS. Also per the TOS they can take away your games for any reason whatsoever. However, for the lower prices I usually pay for steam stuff (since I wait for weekend sales or package deals) I can live with not being able to sell stuff.

Warskull wrote on Mar 9, 2010, 01:23:The reputation hit was for the myriad of other issues the game had. The pirates hammering Demigod's servers only lasted about 1 day. The netcode to get people into matches just didn't work. The game was pretty close to unplayable.

They must have already had those issues worked out by the time I bought it about a month after release. It worked pretty well for me from the get-go, barring the occasional hiccup. It's much better than that now, and it's still one of my favorite games to play.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi

If you've always been able to play your games which require Steam and never had it fail to launch a game then you have either been very lucky, haven't used Steam for very long, or only use it infrequently.

I've Got The News Blues wrote on Mar 8, 2010, 21:14:Steam's DRM would be horrendous to more customers if it wasn't so easily cracked or if the fanboys weren't so blinded by love that they overlook its failures.

Yet, Steam is one platform where you can choose to (or in your case choose to not) purchase the game on. No matter how you buy ACII on PC you are stuck with broken DRM that you paid for and can't even play the game.*

I happen to be okay with Steam's DRM. In fact I find it very convenient. Please, air your grievances. Apparently you think I'm short-sighted and can't see what is wrong with it. Maybe you'll open my eyes.

Conveniences:

No more damn patches. I'm always up to date.

One login for many games.

I don't even have to be online after installing. (Offline Mode)

Friends lists, server lists, tons of other social stuff and free.

Problems:

Heavy use - Launch titles HL2 basically took Steam down for days. I haven't seen anything as bad since, they have learned some good lessons.

I have to log in to be able to go into offline mode. I haven't tried to do this since near launch of Steam

* - This could be growing pains of their broken DRM as I stated Steam already went through. But that's not my problem to be honest. It's Ubisoft's.

Please, add your problems to the list, I'd like to hear what I'm apparently not seeing.

Dev wrote on Mar 8, 2010, 21:24:Yeah demigods if I recall right. They had some issues when it first launched, I wonder how they ended up fixing it.

Legitimate users got a patch that authenticated to a different server that wasn't overloaded since the pirates didn't get the patch.

The real sin in all that was that Stardock and GPG took a huge credibility hit because regardless of the reason, legitimate buyers of the game only knew that they couldn't connect and play. The net code was a little shaky at launch, but this really magnified the problem, and hurt both companies in the process. They should have expected it however. Proper prior planning prevents piss-poor results. The 'P' rule.

The reputation hit was for the myriad of other issues the game had. The pirates hammering Demigod's servers only lasted about 1 day. The netcode to get people into matches just didn't work. The game was pretty close to unplayable.

I've Got The News Blues wrote on Mar 8, 2010, 21:14:Steam's DRM would be horrendous to more customers if it wasn't so easily cracked or if the fanboys weren't so blinded by love that they overlook its failures.